1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of synchronizing a local oscillator signal to a main oscillator signal in a network.
The present invention also relates to a device for performing a method of the invention, and a communication device comprising such a device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a method and device are known from European Patent Application EP-A-0613276. The known method and device perform synchronisation between a central unit and several base stations by means of transferring synchronisation information possibly including sync opportunity information and time delay information. This enables a base station receiving the synchronisation information to detect with which time delay after receipt of the sync opportunity information synchronisation of its clock is actually to be carried out. A clock counter in each respective base station is preloaded to a respective value defined by the transmitted delay information. At zero count all base station clocks synchronize momentarily. Similar synchronization may take place with a given reference signal. It is a disadvantage of the known method and device that, if handsets coupled to respective base stations are communicating with one another, synchronisation after a temporary disruption of information from the central unit and performed in a way as indicated above, will lead to a possible loss of synchronisation of mutually communicating handsets upon reappearance of the sync information. Such a situation can similarly arise in a DECT (Digital European Cordless Telephone) protocol system, where a connection to an ISDN network may be subjected to a temporarily disappearing and/or reappearing reference signal given by the ISDN network. Neither case may, however, lead to an interruption, or disturbance of or a phase jump in ongoing communication between, for example, the handsets.